496 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



resources and products. To accomplish, this successfully, unity 

 of thought and purpose is essential among those engaged in the 

 work ; and the survey should be carried on as a strictly scientific 

 investigation, with the view of aiding in every possible manner 

 the development of such material industries as are affected by its 

 operations. These industries include mining, hydrographic and 

 engineering work, and any practical object that can be advanced 

 by a knowledge of the surface and interior of the earth and its 

 resources. 



The immensity of the work which is now before the Geological 

 Survey would be sufficient to discourage the attempt to complete 

 it, if the review of the past and the importance of the results to 

 be attained, both to science and to the people of the country, were 

 not kept constantly in view. The results of the past, however, 

 are not a true index of the character and progress of work for 

 the future, as a great amount of energy and time has been spent 

 in preliminary studies and experimentation as to the best meth- 

 ods to be pursued and in obtaining a large amount of data neces- 

 sary to the satisfactory prosecution of areal geologic work. These 

 will not have to be repeated in the future. 



The plan for the immediate future is to continue topographic 

 work in areas of primary geologic importance, and to do such 

 other topographic work as will be of service to the people and aid 

 in the development of the areas mapped. In areal geology it is 

 proposed to continue work in the following provinces: 1. The 

 coal and iron region of the Appalachians from Alabama to the 

 Pennsylvania line, which is considered especially important, as 

 there is a large area of the Mississippi Valley and Atlantic coast 

 which draws its coal and iron supplies from this region. 2. The 

 crystalline areas of the eastern Appalachian region, in which 

 gold, corundum, mica, etc., occur. 3. The phosphate deposits of 

 Florida, extending the inquiry northward into Georgia and South 

 Carolina and possibly into the areas of southwest Tennessee. 4. 

 The marls, etc., of New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia, working 

 southward as rapidjy as topographic maps are completed and the 

 areal geology can be surveyed. 5. The northeastern section, 

 where the mapping and study of the roofing-slate region of New 

 York and Vermont, and the mapping of the areal geology of Mas- 

 sachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, are to be completed ; 

 and surveys will be extended to such areas of Vermont, New 

 Hampshire, and Maine as the available means will permit. 6. 

 The Lake Superior iron region, where areal and structural work 

 will be carried forward systematically for the purpose of map- 

 ping the extent of the known mineral deposits and of determining 

 the existence of other deposits not now known. 7. The Rocky 

 Mountain area, where it is proposed to continue the investigation 



